A startup company using revolutionary wastewater filtration technology developed by chemical and biological engineering Associate Professor Ayse Asatekin and led by Alex Rappaport, E17, MSIM18, reached a milestone in 2022 by attracting $33 million in funding to scale up its products-one of the largest rounds of Series A funding ever achieved by a water technology company. The seeds for ZwitterCo's success were sown in Asatekin's lab years ago, nurtured by Rappaport as he pursued a Master's of Science in Innovation and Management, and supported through Tufts' technology transfer process that brings discoveries to market, generating revenue for Tufts and benefitting society.
Asatekin's technology is one of the breakthroughs spotlighted in the recently released fiscal year 2022 annual report from the Tufts Office for Technology Transfer and Industry Collaboration (TTIC).
"Our distinctive constellation of schools, interdisciplinary tradition, and entrepreneurial spirit all support discovery across Tufts' campuses," says Vice Provost for Research Bernard Arulanandam. "The translation of basic science and transfer of discoveries from the lab to the world are an essential part of our role as a student-centered, research-intensive institution."
